International Journal of Innovative Research and Development

Abstract

Approximately 3.2 billion people in the world are at risk of malaria. Last year alone, WHO reported about 214 million malaria cases and estimated a malaria death toll of 438,000. In the year 2015, Sub-Saharan Africa alone recorded 89% of the world malaria cases and 91% of the malaria death toll (WHO, 2015). Artemisinin-Based Combination Therapies (ACTs) remain the mainstay of malaria treatment in Ghana. This study therefore, sought to assess the knowledge on and adherence towards ACTs in the Adansi Traditional Area of the Ashanti Region of Ghana. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was carried among 310 adults who had or were taking ACTs and were currently living in the area during the study period. Quota sampling technique was used in selecting a representative number of the participants from each of the 7 towns in the traditional area. Primary data were obtained using self-administered and interviewer-assisted questionnaires. Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23 guided the analysis of data and data presentation was done using descriptive and inferential statistics.

The study discovered that majority (67.1%) of the respondents had knowledge on first line drugs use for treating malaria. Moreover, there was asignificance (p-value <0.05) association between participants’ education, occupation and their knowledge on ACTs. Although, 97% of the participants didn’t experience any of ACT’s side effect, only half (50%) of them adhered to its frequency and dosage. This therefore calls for intensification of public education on the relevance of adhering to ACTs and medications at large. 

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Abstract

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder that has existed for centuries and the most common form of diabetes in adults. Its management encompasses dietary modification, exercise, accident prevention and medications (oral hypoglycemic agents and insulin). Due to the chronic nature of T2DM, adherence to treatment recommendations remain a challenge for many patients. This study aimed at assessing the adherence of patients with T2DM to treatment recommendations in some selected Peri-urban Hospitals in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana. The study deployed the positivist paradigm and descriptive research design. Stratified sampling technique was employed to randomly select 200 diabetic patients for the study. Questionnaire was the main instrument used in gathering primary data. SPSS version 23 was used to analyze the field data. The study revealed a statistically significant (p-value < 0.05) association between: participants’ age and adherence to exercise; participants’ age and adherence to accidents prevention measures; participants’ education and adherence to dietary restrictions. However, adherence to medications had no statistically significant relationship with participants’ socio-demographic variables. The study concluded that, although, knowledge on type-2 DM medication is high, adherence to treatment recommendations still pose a challenge for many patients. Of particular interest to this study is that respondents’ age alone significantly controls exercise and risk prevention. Hence a massive public health education across all age groups is required in addition to policy support.   

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